ASH at 50

I was on Times Radio this morning discussing ASH's 50th anniversary.

Apart from ASH CEO Deborah Arnott (who was on a dodgy line that came and went), other guests were former Labour minister Patricia Hewitt who was Secretary of State for Health when the smoking ban was driven through Parliament, and Robert West, Professor Emeritus of Health Psychology at University College London.

Producers had allocated 25 minutes for the discussion but 20 minutes had elapsed before I was invited to speak.

Fair enough. It was ASH's party and I appreciated the invitation to take part although Times Radio originally wanted David Hockney and when they couldn't get him they asked if we could suggest any MPs or peers who might take a similar view of ASH.

Eventually however they went with me so I was third choice at best.

From the start I felt I was intruding on some sort of ASH love-in. Hewitt congratulated the group on their "brilliant work" and West was similarly effusive.

When presenter Matt Chorley finally came to me – lazily referring to Forest as "pro-smoking" (which I had to correct to "pro-choice") – he began by asking if I too would like to congratulate ASH on their 50th anniversary.

Not wishing to be a curmudgeon, I did. I added however that I looked forward to Deborah congratulating Forest on our 50th anniversary when the time comes.

Thereafter my main point in the very limited time I had was to say that having begun 50 years ago with the laudable aim of educating people about the health risks of smoking, ASH had become a partisan pressure group whose primary purpose would seem to be lobbying government to introduce more and more regulations designed to force adults to quit smoking.

At least, I think that's what I said. I can't check because the only thing Times Radio has posted online is a tweet featuring a two-minute clip of Hewitt rhapsodising about the smoking ban.

Deborah responded to me in her usual fashion by saying (and I paraphrase) that under no circumstances would she congratulate Forest when it's our 50th anniversary.

She also adopted her well worn mode of attack, criticising Forest for our links with the tobacco industry and criticising me personally for defending smoking even though I am a non-smoker.

(I've never understood why you have to be a smoker to defend freedom of choice and personal responsibility but there you go.)

After pointing out that ASH has benefitted from taxpayers' money over the years I was interrupted by Chorley who didn't seem to think this was an issue.

If I understood him correctly it actually validates ASH's position because it shows the government approves of what they're doing. So that's OK then!

Deborah then read a tribute by someone who had lost a loved one to smoking. Given the length I thought I might be allowed to read something myself.

My intention was to quote from the article she wrote for the Guardian in July 2006, five months after MPs voted for the smoking ban.

The bit I wanted to quote was Deborah's assertion that:

It is essential that campaigners create the impression of inevitable success. Campaigning of this kind is literally a confidence trick ... The week before the free vote we made sure the government got the message that we "knew" we were going to win and it would be better for them to be on the winning side.

Having listened to Patricia Hewitt talk at length about the smoking ban, and how it came about, I thought it would have rounded off the discussion rather neatly.

Instead Chorley cut me off – understandably perhaps given the item was in danger of over-running – but his closing comment appeared to imply that an interesting item had become unnecessarily personal and I definitely felt the finger of blame was pointing in my direction!!

Frankly, from where I was sitting it was Deborah who initially made it personal by attacking me for not being a smoker.

Chorley too must have known he was being a bit naughty when he invited me to congratulate ASH on their anniversary. How did he expect me to react?!

Either way, I don't think I'll be invited back any time soon!

PS. There is a more serious article to be written about ASH at 50. I just don't have the time now.